Explosive container



April 21, 1970 WALKER ET AL 3,507,218

EXPLOSIVE CONTAINER Filed July 5, 1968 -FZZ I N VEN TORS Magda Brave! Wilma & Mamm ATTO/P/V' Kr United States Patent 3,507,218 EXPLOSIVE CONTAINER Garland H. Walker, Houston, and Carlos E. Ballard, Sugarland, Tex., assiguors to Seispower Corporation, a corporation of Texas Filed July 3, 1968, Ser. No. 742,403 Int. Cl. F42b 3/00 US. Cl. 102--24 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE v A sealed container for explosive material having means for looping a fuse cord through the container while mamtaining the explosive material sealed in the container.

BACKGROUND OF 'IIHE INVENTION The field of this invention is explosive boosters. Heretofore, explosive boosters have generally been made from solid explosives which have been pre-shaped to fit into paper or cardboard tubes. Fuse cord known as Primacord has been extended through drilled or molded openings in the explosive. With such prior arrangement, the explosive boosters were necessarily solid to provide the holes for the fuse cord, and they were exposed to moisture and subject to evaporation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the sealed container of the present invention, with explosives therein and with a fuse cord positioned in the container; and

FIG. 2 is a view taken from the fight-hand end of FIG. 1 and illustrates in particular the arrangement of the cover with the body of the container and the tubes formed with such body.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the drawings, the letter C designates generally the container of this invention which is adapted to receive an explosive material E and to confine same in a sealed condition while at the same time providing for the disposition of a fuse cord F interiorly of the mass of the explosive material E so as to detonate such exposive material E when the fuse cord F is ignited by a blasting cap (not shown) or other suitable means.

The container C includes a body having an annular side wall which is preferably substantially cylindrical in shape, although it may assume other shapes within the scope of this invention. Such side Wall 10 is formed integrally with a bottom 11. One or more tubes 14 are disposed interiorly of the side wall 10 of the body of the container C, through which the fuse cord F known as Primacord is disposed, as will be more evident hereinafter. The lower end 14a of each of the tubes 14 is open and is fused with the bottom 11 at an opening 11a in the bottom 11 so as to seal olf the bottom at such openings 11a while leaving the open ends 14a of the tubes 14. In the preferred form of the invention, the tubes 14 are molded,

3,507,218 Patented Apr. 21, 1970 extruded or otherwise formed integrally with the bottom 11, but it will be appreciated that such tubes 14 may be separately formed and then heat sealed, solvent sealed or otherwise sealed to the bottom 11 at the openings 11a. It is to be noted that the lower ends 14a of the tubes 14 are substantially flush with the bottom 11 so as to prevent them from becoming torn loose or otherwise separated from the bottom 11 in use. The tubes 14 are preferably tapered as illustrated in FIG. 1 with the largest diameter being at the bottom end 14a and with the taper progressively decreasing from the largest diameter at the lower end of 14a to the smallest diameter at the upper end 14b. Such arrangement facilitates the insertion of the Primacord F and permits it to closely fit into the interior or bore of the tubes 14. It will be understood that the taper of the tubes 14 may be in the bores 140 only and the external surfaces of said tubes 14 may be tapered or otherwise shaped.

In the preferred form of the invention, the side wall 10, the bottom 11, and the tube or tubes 14 are all formed integrally by molding, extrusion or otherwise from a waterproof material such as a synthetic resin or plastic. Examples of such material are well known and include polyvinyl resins, polytetrafiuoroethylene, polyester resins and phenol formaldehyde resins.

The present invention is especially suitable for holding an explosivematerial such as a gelled nitromethane explosive material which is semi-liquid and which is subject to deterioration by evaporation if exposed to the atmosphere. The explosive material E is poured or otherwise placed in the container C, and then a cover 20 is positioned in the upper end 10a of the sidewall 10 of the body of the container C and is sealed therewith and with tubes 14 to completely enclose and seal in the explosive material E. In the preferred form of the invention, the cover 20 is formed with an annular lip 20a which is adapted to sealingly contact the entire inner upper surface 10a so that it may be sealed in any conventional manner such as by friction, heat, solvent, or sonic means.

Additionally, the cover 20 is preferably formed with an annular lip 20b surrounding an opening 20c through which each of the tubes 14 extend. The annular lips 20b for the tubes 14 sealingly engage the external surfaces of such tubes 14 and are thus capable of being sealed to the tubes 14 by any conventional method such as friction, heat, solvent or sonic means.

After the annular lip 20a and the annular lips 20b surrounding each of the openings 20c are sealed to the side wall 10 and the tubes 14, respectively, the explosive material E is entirely enclosed within the container C. It will be understood that the material of the cover 20 is preferably the same as the side wall 10, bottom 11 and tubes 14, although they may be different materials so long as they are all waterproof and capable of being sealed to each other.

In use, the container C is filled with the explosive E, and then the cover 20 is sealed in position as illustrated in the drawings. A Primacord or other fuse cord F is then fed through the tubes 14 and is positioned in any conventional manner for subsequent ignition to detonate the explosive B when desired. The fuse cord F is thus positioned centrally or interiorly of the explosive material E Without actually contacting same and while maintaining the explosive material E in a completely sealed condition.

What is claimed is:

1. A sealed container for explosive material, comprising:

(a) an outer body made of waterproof synthetic resin material and having a fully enclosing side Wall with a bottom; (b) at least two tubes disposed in said body;

(c) said bottom having an opening for each of said tubes into which the lower end of each of said tubes extends;

((1) said bottom being united to said lower end of each of said tubes at each said opening so that said bottom is sealed off; and

(e) a synthetic resin cover having an annular upstanding lip fitted and sealed into the upper end of said outer body and having an opening with an annular upstanding lip through which the upper end of each of said tubes extends and to which the cover is sealed to thereby provide a sealed container having at least two open tubes extending therethrough for receiving a detonator cord in proximity with explosive disposed in the sealed container.

2. The sealed container of claim 1, wherein:

(a) each of said tubes has a tapered inner bore with the bore being largest at the lower end and progressively decreasing in diameter to the upper end.

3. The structure set forth in claim 1, wherein:

said lower ends of said tubes are integral with said bottom of said body.

VERLIN R.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS PENDEGRASS, Primary Examiner 

